Aldi becomes ‘first supermarket’ to use 100% recycled plastic in drink bottles

Aldi says it has become the first supermarket to launch fully recycled plastic (rPet) for its own-branded soft drinks and bottled water in England and Wales.

The supermarket estimates that the move will save around 10,000 tonnes of virgin plastic annually. The move forms part of Aldi’s target to include 50 per cent recycled content in its plastic packaging by 2025.

Aldi said the cap and label of bottles are not made from recycled materials.

Aldi recently introduced the UK’s first supermarket own-brand paper wine bottles with packaging made from 94 per cent recycled paperboard which is lined with a food-grade pouch to contain the wine.

“We know our customers care about how their food and drink is packaged, as well as how it is disposed of and where it goes next,” said Luke Emery, plastic and packaging director at Aldi UK. “This, coupled with the fact that the reuse of plastic packaging once it has been recycled is a critical industry-wide issue, means we’re doing all we can to reduce our impact.

“Moving to recycled content on our soft drinks range forms part of our efforts to accelerate our progress on this journey. We also hope the new labelling we are introducing will help to remind customers to recycle their packaging after use so we can all do our bit to increase recycling rates in the UK.”

Additionally, Aldi has announced that has signed up to The Portman Group’s Code of Practice. The organisation encourages the responsible marketing and retailing of alcoholic products.

Aldi said the move ensures it follows best practices for naming, packaging and merchandising alcoholic drinks to ensure they do not appeal to those under the age of 18.

Employees working at Aldi will receive training on the code as part of the commitment.

“Our Code of Practice ensures alcohol is marketed in a socially responsible way and we are pleased to have the support of retailers such as Aldi, which is a key part of this,” said Matt Lambert, chief executive of The Portman Group. “It’s vital that all retailers and producers take care to abide by our Code of Practice and to support and enforce decisions on products.”



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